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Sunday, November 25, 2007

Fall Riding

This time last year, my mountain bike season ended with a dump of snow that stayed for months. It's supposed to snow tomorrow, so I'm heading out on my sixth ride in eight days this morning. After years of being mocked for posts like this, I usually only post the special rides. The common ones on the trails around town don't make the cut, but their absence from this personal record is misleading -- regular riding is still an essential part of my identity because it gets me into nature, keeps me from getting an oh-so-manly beer gut, and feels fantastic. The regular rides are often social, too -- this photo shows my friend Richard winding up Giant's Head on Thursday. I still like riding alone, but it's great to have a compatible riding partner for the company and the extra motivation to ride on cold windy mornings.

I went back through my Flickr photos and dug up a bunch of biking-related shots from the last couple of months:

Thanks Greg -- you mean the one at the top of the post? That is a cool spot on the ride, where the exposure is very steep, plunging down a thousand feet or so in a hurry. And yes, the effect on my well-being cannot be overstated...lucky.